PS5 Pro The Callisto Protocol Patch Delivers a Visual Experience Without Compromise

The Callisto Protocol PS5 Pro patch greatly enhanced image quality and performance while also introducing an 8K resolution mode that delivers a visual experience without compromise, according to a new analysis of the patch.

During the latest episode of their weekly podcast, Digital Foundry provided their own analysis of the PS5 Pro patch released for Striking Distance’s game, highlighting how the patch improves Performance Mode considerably by adding the ray tracing features only available in Quality Mode on the base model while maintaining a solid 60 FPS framerate. This is seemingly achieved by lowering the resolution, as on the mid-generation console, the pixel count hits 1440p and 1296p in areas where it is higher on the base model’s Performance mode, although the image is definitely sharper on the new system. In addition, the game also achieves better performance on the new PlayStation 5 model by using TAAU instead of AMD FSR 2 or PSSR, as the artifacts that indicate that either are being used are nowhere to be seen. As such, it is not clear if Striking Distance simply used the additional GPU power of the system to brute force these improvements in some ways or had access to the PS5 Po exclusive features that can only be used with more recent SDK versions.

Digital Foundry also examined the 8K mode introduced in The Callisto Protocol with the PS5 Pro patch. This mode is not as impressive as the No Man’s Sky 8K mode, as it features a slightly sharper image than the 4K resolution mode and not much else. As such, Digital Foundry theorizes that this mode employs a dynamic resolution range that hits up to 6K and then upscales the image to 8K.

The PS5 Pro is now available worldwide. You can learn more about the system by checking out Kai’s review.